Compromise agreed on revised F2F code

Fundraising | 29 Oct 2008

The Public Fundraising Regulatory Association appears to have reached a compromise with the Institute of Fundraising on whether the new face-to-face code should contain a recommendation for practitioners to join the PFRA.

When the Institute published its first revision of the code in May, it had removed the stipulation that any of its members that carry out face-to-face fundraising “ought to” be members of the PFRA as well.

The PFRA was unhappy about this, and expressed its opposition in its response to the consultation and in meetings with the Institute.

Final recommendation changed slightly

Now the final code has been published with the recommendation reinstated, but slightly altered. It states that face-to-face operators “ought” to consult the PFRA before embarking on any kind of face-to-face activity, and “should” consider joining it in order to signal publicly that they are committed to best practice.

The PFRA issued a statement saying it “warmly welcomed” the new Face-to-Face Activity Code, which also covers prospecting as well as traditional street and door-to-door fundraising.

Parting shot across bows to Institute

But, in what could be interpreted as a parting shot across the bows to the IoF over the matter, the self-regulatory body made clear that it had garnered strong support from both the Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM) and the Charity Commission on the subject.

The ATCM is planning to publish new guidance shortly that will advise its members that they should engage with the PFRA on street fundraising, and the Commission’s forthcoming review of its Charities and Fundraising guidance is likely to emphasise that practitioners should join their relevant self-regulatory bodies.

Megan Pacey, the Institute’s policy and campaigns director, said the Institute was “pleased to have found a middle ground to benefit all those concerned”.

The PFRA added that it would now concentrate on fleshing out the bones of the new guidance around prospecting, which was why it asked the IoF to update the Code in the first place.

Directory: Institute of Fundraising | The Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA)

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